The New Core Sales Process

Most agree that the core sales tasks are a mirror of the customer's buying process.  As long as the buying process remained the same, the sales process could stay the same too. But, with connected car technology, the internet and social media the buying process has changed.  It starts long before the potential buyer contacts a dealership, it interacts with a range of information sources and influencers that are completely outside the retailer. Our approach to sales training reflects and includes these developments to equip sales professionals at every level of experience and with both retail and corporate responsibilities to reach out to prospects, build relationships with them and manage the transition from possible buyer to loyal advocate. We can tailor make programmes around three sales process frameworks for our clients:

Basic Sales Training:

Core skills for showroom sales staff based on 7 key modules from Relationship Building through each stage of the Buyer's Journey through to Delivery and Follow-Up.

Key Account Management:

Consultative selling and relationship management for Corporate Sales staff based on six core skills from Gaining the Appointment through Managing Multiple Decision-Makers to making the Sales Presentation.

Sales Audits:

On-site skills and process audit of your experienced sales team to assess their current skills, overcome their weaknesses and sharpen their approach.

Selling Service:

The service market has always had plenty of competitors but never more so than today. What these competitors recognize is that there is no such thing as a 'captive' customer....even with a five year warranty. The customer always has choices. Your own business may have other service points. Your warranty doesn't cover high-margin wear and tear items, such as brake pads, windscreen wipers and tyres and it's often mileage limited as well as time limited. On top of that external fleet customers can often go elsewhere. Sales skills for service staff gives them the awareness and skills to retain customers for longer. How? By learning how to sell value, technical expertise and dealer standards. By gaining insights into managing customer relationships. Most importantly, by classifying the customer, knowing their position in the customer journey and  responding appropriately to their needs.

What do we cover?

Core skills in communications, customer care and diagnosis for service reception staff at all levels of experience, in a range of departments from the 'traditional' to an 'interactive' service reception

What do we expect?

Parts people are expected to sell everything, from the trivial through the practical to the luxurious. One moment they are fulfilling an order for a technician at the workshop counter, the next they are trying to assist a retail customer choosing branded luggage or a watch. Of course, there are common requirements  in all selling situations - knowing the product, knowing the customer, listening, explaining and overcoming objections. But, we think there are three special steps for selling different types of products to different types of customers. Step 1. Connect to the Customer. Step 2. Connect the customer to the Product. Step 3. Connect the product to Value. So, we've created three training frameworks that can be tailored for parts sales professionals based on what they're selling and who they are selling it to

Connect to the Customer:

This are the components of step 1, our basic framework focusing on customer handling skills at the workshop, trade and retail counter: Telephone skills, Relationship building, Overcoming objections and Active listening

Connect the Customer to the Product:

This is step 2, our intermediate framework. It concentrates on the trade and retail counter parts sales core process, from initial qualification through features and benefits to closing and follow up.

Connect the Product to Value

This is step 3, our advanced framework. It introduces the elements and skills needed to sell the brand, not the price: Personal and Product Presentation, The Brand Story, Commitment Building and Calls To Action

In our experience the fundamental distinction between corporate and retail clients can be reduced to their two basic needs. Retail customers want you to improve their day; corporate customers want you to improve their day and their customer's day. Our programme helps your people to learn how to do those very simple tasks time after time after time after time.

No matter how price-driven they are to start with, customers are open to a relationship. If they weren't, they would not be human. They signal this to your staff every day; the question is, do your people recognise the signal and do they respond as you hope they would? At LGA we show your people what the stages of the relationship can be - for retail and business customers - and how to move the customer from one stage to another over time. If that's of interest to you, please contact us and we'll explain how we can help.

In service, delivering customer care can be a delight and a challenge. When the needs of the customer are exceeded, they remember the service long after they forget the price. But if they only receive what's due, or worse, less than they think is due, the best you can hope for is indifference and the worst is conflict. On the service front-line the most important tools are the right customer care process matched to the best social skills. Some people call it 'emotional intelligence'. Whatever you call it,  the key ingredients are insight, flexibility and sensitivity.  Everyone has these skills but in the daily rush to get the job done they may not be used. If you want to to focus on these areas with your service team, let us know. We'd be happy to contribute.

All parts customers - the workshop, the retail or the trade counter - want the same basic service: the right part at the right time. But, from then on, it gets tricky. The workshop wants 100% availability - not easy or prudent when there may be more than 100,000 lines to stock. The retail customer often wants technical help as well as the part. They want all of the parts they might need for the job - but no more - and only want to make one trip to get them. Trade buyers want as much as the other two groups together but at a price which gives them a margin. It's no surprise that building relationships with so may diverse customers can be a big ask.

So, imagine if your team had a simple picture of each stage the customer passed through to become an advocate or a loyal customer and they knew how to help the customer through each one of them. Imagine they could figure out how close they could get with the customer - workshop, retail or trade - and they had the skills to get there...and stay there. Imagine they had a map of the key points of contact with the customer that made a difference to satisfaction, advocacy and loyalty. Well, if you'd like to turn that day-dream into a reality, let us know.